Water fun Disney Style

For the first time this week, i was able to finally go inside one of disney's water parks, Typhoon Lagoon. According to the Imagineers' legend, a powerful typhoon wreaked havoc on a seaside village and left ships, surfboards, buoys, and other flotsam strewn about its lagoon and rivers in its wake. At the rear of Typhoon Lagoon now sits the Miss Tilly shrimp boat, perched perilously and incongruously, atop a volcanic mountain. Every few minutes, the mountain lets loose a volcanic tremor and sends an enormous wave rippling across the lagoon.
With it's rich backstory and beautiful water we dove right in and began our adventure through the park, riding the water coaster The Crush n' Gusher, sliding down huge slides, lazily relaxing in castaway creek, and swimming with sharks. Going snorkeling was amazing. Getting in the water with a lot of underwater sea life, seeing my dear friend Dory swimming around, and some very big sharks (don't worry, they were the kind that didn't have teeth) swimming underneath me was absolutely amazing and was something I have always wanted to do, and while it wasn't quite the ocean, it was still absolutely breathtaking. Typhoon Lagoon was a great way to spend a hot day off in Walt Disney World and made for a great water park experience and I can't wait to take on Blizzard Beach in the next few days.

Spring Break = CRAZINESS

Well, spring break is finally upon us. Over the few weeks since my last post, we have seen a steady increase in guests within the parks, going from about 25 thousand to over 45 thousand on a daily basis. This increase in guests means extra magic hours nights each week, longer wait times for our lines, rapid fire questions from all sides, and of course the disgruntled guest here or there (somedays it feels constant.) This increase in guests also means an extreme increase in hours. I'm talking 60-70 hour work weeks for some cast members, including this Nemo cast member. I can tell you that being the one and only kid friendly ride in the park means that we are insane busy. I have never seen the park this busy, and I can honestly tell you that I have no idea why anyone would want to come to the park when it is like this. There are lines for everything: rides, food, bathrooms, show performances, check-out counters. Honestly, there are so many people here and it is only going to get worse in the next two weeks. Lost children happens almost constantly and this is the first time that I have ever been in favor of the "Child Leashes" that some parents adopt when they come to the park.
It's been a week full of long hours and even a few meetings about how we should all be prepared to combat the long lines and the tidal wave of people within the park. I now know that there is a mathematical equation for our guests and their happiness within the park. If they are able to ride 8.5 or more rides on their visit, then they will be happy and much more likely to come back on a return visit. So for our park, that means they have to ride just about everything, and when Soarin' is at a 3 hour wait, i doubt that that is going to happen. (why would anyone wait 3 HOURS for a ride like soarin? i just don't get it)
But for most guests, this extreme business is all they know the parks to be. Not everyone is able to come in the off seasons in November/December and February. So a word from the wise, if you want to come to Disney World, Please do so during those months, you'll be happy you did.

Midway Reflections

It's hard to believe that I am already into the second week of march. My program is already halfway over and I am torn between thinking that it has gone by so fast and that it is taking forever. I really love working here in Disney World and I am dreading going back home in a way. I don't really know what all I will be going home to and it will be the big test to see if this internship was really worth it. There is always the option of extending my program and staying through the summer, or even into January but I am not really sure if i could or should put off my schooling that much. The other part of me is ready to be home. I'm definitely missing my family and the knowledge that I have a puppy waiting for me to play with when i get there is just the cherry on top. Being here in Florida has really cut down on the times that I actually get to talk with my family and I feel like i have no idea what is going on in there lives which can be a bummer sometimes. Even though I am working in one of the best places and have a lot of fun, it doesn't really mean that much when you can't share it with those that are most important in your lives. Now, if i could just add a few people here to my experience...that would be great! i don't think i'd ever leave. It's definitely going to take a lot of prayer and reflection to know just what I am suppose to do with these last 2 months, whether it's stay and extend them, or go home and see where this takes me.